Steven Hauck looks at one of the many homes in Brigantine, N.J., that his company raised several feet in March because of concerns prompted by Superstorm Sandy. / Denise Henhoeffer, Gannett

by Cara Richardson and Donna Leinwand Leger, USA TODAY

by Cara Richardson and Donna Leinwand Leger, USA TODAY

There will never again be another Hurricane Sandy - at least, in name.

The World Meteorological Organization has retired the name "Sandy" from the official list of Atlantic hurricane names.

The criteria to remove a name from the list, which is reused every six years, is that the storm had to be so deadly, or so costly, that the reuse of the name would be "confusing or insensitive," said Dennis Feltgen, spokesman for the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

"You'll never see that name used again," he said. The alphabetical list, which alternates between male and female, will use the name "Sara" in 2018, he said.

The decision was made by a vote at a meeting of the World Meteorological Organization's hurricane committee in Curaçao. Rick Knabb, director of the National Hurricane Center, represented the U.S. at the meeting.

Hurricane Sandy - which morphed into "Superstorm Sandy" but did much of its damage after losing its hurricane status - made landfall near Brigantine, N.J., in October. Seventy-two U.S. deaths are attributed to Sandy, and preliminary estimates put damages in the U.S. near $50 billion, which makes Sandy the nation's costliest storm since Katrina, according to hurricane center records.

Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana in 2005 - the year the most names ever were retired from the list, Feltgen said. "Dennis," "Katrina," "Rita," "Stan" and "Wilma" were all taken off the list of Atlantic storm names that year.

The name Sandy, the 77th to be retired, was the only name retired for 2012. In 2011, Irene was the only name taken off the list.

"These cycles last 20, 30, sometimes even 40 years," he said. The 2012 Atlantic hurricane season saw 19 named storms form, of which 10 became hurricanes, according to NOAA records.

The Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1 and lasts until Nov. 30.

"We're less than two months away from the start of the 2013 season, so be looking ahead and get your hurricane plan in place," Feltgen said. The National Hurricane Center will release its yearly hurricane outlook in May.